Sunday, November 8, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The Oakland Temple
And the boys got to make Pioneer dolls it was pretty funny really.
California
Monday, September 28, 2009
Field Trip: Santaquin Canyon
Santaquin Canyon is a narrow canyon nestled into the Wasatch range, full of woods, rivers, and sometimes hidden rock formations. As we drove to the beginning of the hiking trail we were frequently stopping to admire the cliffs and formation that loomed above us, rising above the canyon walls to catch the warmth of sunlight. The first we noticed provided a beautiful example of both sedimentary layering and pivoting; the motion that caused this rock to jut out of the ground brought it out almost vertically. Near the top of the formation can be seen the results of weathering as the peak has been crushed into smaller conglomerates and even loose materials that will experience mass wasting as they eventually come tumbling down, probably when ice does its job of wedging.
Our next shot demonstrated a beautiful cliff face garnished with forest. Lower on the cliff, arcing beds of sandstone and granite alternate in colorful stripes. Higher up is a curious display of arcing layers where the rock has shorn off in graceful curves. I'm not sure whether this formation was caused by conchoidal fracture possible granitic lava flows. The gaps evident between the curved ribbing seems to indicate that there were deposits of other minerals that were removed by erosion and weathering.
We were also able to find some crystalline bedding formations, the square forms of the jutting stone testifying to the crystalline structure of the rock. This has taken heavy wear and the erosion and mass-wasting has resulted in gravel slides farther down the cliff.
Once we made it to the foot path were able to get some hands on experience. We found conglomerate boulders that tell of the strong waters that must have formed this canyon, pulling larger chunks of rock down and eventually leaving them amidst the sand and silt that would lithify into a cement. They make for good climbing.
Some of the slides were full of sharp shale stones and angular rocks. The edges on all of these tell of definite mechanical weathering. Perhaps some of them were man-made when the trail was blazed; others are surely the product of harsh winters and avalanches.
The canyon is still full of rivers and even little water-falls. In contrast to the sharp-edged rocks beside many points of the trail, these rivers show off smooth and mossy rocks whose rounded shapes demonstrate the difference between mechanical and chemical weathering and erosion.
The geology in this canyon surprised me with its diversity; we saw all kinds of sedimentary rocks with representatives from every category of formation, from conglomeration to shale, as well as all kinds of weathering. We found light-colored granite formations and dark basaltic, or maybe carbon-based, formations. We witnessed the evidence of gravity, water, tectonic motion, ice wedging, and possibly even volcanoes. From this variety we saw not only varieties of rock and mineral but also a flourishing system of growth. People enjoy the beauties of this area, the water and stability of it, and the forests that provide wood.
I am grateful for a wife who loves nature, both in its life and its natural formations, and knows places like this canyon to take me. Between her help and that of Professor Nixon I am learning to see the world in new ways and am finding beauty in that which was cold and silent to me in the past.
Professor Nixon always says, "Interest precedes learning." He begins every class by showing us a picture of hiding wildlife to spark our interest in an otherwise ordinary setting. Can you find the hidden wildwife in this picture?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Wood Carving show
I entered four pieces into the wood carving show two gun stocks a plaque and my drift wood. I got two seconds places and two third places.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
This is the oldest female elephant in the U.S. they also have the youngest elephant. They were pretty proud of that fact. Well it turned out that we went on what they call an enrichment day. So every hour they would put new toys, scents, foods, etc.... here's a slide of the matriarch chomping at the bit before they turned her loose in the big incloser. Were there were fruits and veg.s some were frozen in a huge barrel which she ficked over and pasted up for the goods on the ground. After cleaning up the ground she returned to the chunk of ice and crushed it with her foot.
